Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb appeler

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The English translation of the French verb appeler is “to call” or “to name.” It is pronounced [a.pə.le].

Appeler comes from the Latin word appellare, which means “to entreat” or “to address.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has been commonly used ever since.

In everyday French, appeler is often used in the Conditionnel Passé tense to express a possibility or hypothetical action in the past. It is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the Conditionnel Présent tense, followed by the past participle appelé.

Three simple examples of appeler in the Conditionnel Passé tense with English translations are:

  1. Si j’avais su, je t’aurais appelé. (If I had known, I would have called you.)

  2. Tu serais venu si je t’avais appelé. (You would have come if I had called you.)

  3. Ils auraient appelé la police s’ils avaient vu quelque chose de suspect. (They would have called the police if they had seen something suspicious.)

Table of the Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of appeler

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aurais appelé Si j’avais su, je t’aurais appelé. I would have called you.
tu aurais appelé Tu aurais appelé plus tôt. You would have called earlier.
il aurait appelé Il aurait appelé du travail. He would have called from work.
elle aurait appelé Elle aurait appelé ses parents. She would have called her parents.
on aurait appelé On aurait appelé la police. One would have called the police.
nous aurions appelé Nous aurions appelé l’ambulance. We would have called the ambulance.
vous auriez appelé Vous auriez appelé avec eux. You would have called with them.
ils auraient appelé Ils auraient appelé pour prendre des nouvelles. They would have called to check in.
elles auraient appelé Elles auraient appelé leurs amis. They (female) would have called their friends.

Other Conjugations for Appeler.

    

    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
     

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
     

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
     

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
     

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
     

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
     

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
     

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
     

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
     

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler
     

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler  (this article)

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb appeler


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Appeler – About the French Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense

The French “Conditionnel Passé” is a compound tense used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is formed by combining the conditional of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

Start with the conditional of the auxiliary verb: For most verbs, use “aurais” (for “avoir”) or “serais” (for “être”) as the conditional form. 

With “avoir”: j’aurais, tu aurais, il/elle/on aurait, nous aurions, vous auriez, ils/elles auraient. 
With “être”: je serais, tu serais, il/elle/on serait, nous serions, vous seriez, ils/elles seraient. 

Add the past participle of the main verb to this conditional form. 
For example, if you want to say “I would have done,” you would use “j’aurais fait.” If you want to say “She would have gone,” you would use “elle serait allée.”

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Expressing Unreal Past Scenarios

The Conditionnel Passé is often used to talk about actions that did not happen in the past, but you are speculating about what would have occurred if they had. It’s a way to discuss hypothetical situations in the past. 

Si j’avais su, je t’aurais aidé. (If I had known, I would have helped you.)
Il serait venu s’il avait eu le temps. (He would have come if he had had the time.) 

Polite Requests or Suggestions

It can be used to make polite requests or suggestions in the past. 

Pourriez-vous m’aider, s’il vous plaît ? (Could you have helped me, please?) 

Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty

It can convey doubt or uncertainty regarding past events.

Il aurait peut-être oublié notre rendez-vous. (He might have forgotten our appointment.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Conditional Present

You can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional present to describe past actions that were hypothetical at the time they were spoken about. J’aurais aimé que tu m’appelles hier. (I would have liked you to call me yesterday.) 

Indicative Past Tenses

You might use the Conditionnel Passé alongside indicative past tenses like the passé composé to contrast hypothetical and real past events. Il est venu hier, mais s’il avait pu, il serait venu la semaine dernière. (He came yesterday, but if he could have, he would have come last week.) 

Conditional Future

In some cases, you can use the Conditionnel Passé in combination with the conditional future to discuss unreal past events that could have consequences in the future. Si j’avais réussi mon examen, j’aurais un meilleur travail. (If I had passed my exam, I would have a better job.)

Summary

In summary, the Conditionnel Passé is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions in the past. It is often used in conjunction with other tenses to convey various nuances in French, allowing speakers to discuss imaginary past scenarios, make polite requests, or express doubt about past events.

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